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Eric O'Donnell's avatar

Fair point. I thought interruption was beside the point and a little annoying. I would have liked to have watched them drink their fill of the poisoned chalice. They were to me, a curiosity, an exhibit of what it’s like to be tethered to neither morality nor reality. I could have watched the spectacle longer because clearly it was going to do nothing but sink into the muck deeper by the minute. I remember as a teenager and young adult watching televangelists fulminate. I couldn’t switch the channel to save my life. They *fascinated* me. I couldn’t believe that they could deliver such total bullshit at such at a pitch.

Your point about denying others free speech is thoughtful. As I reflect on it though, I cannot conjure up great sympathy. So much that is discreditable and dangerous has been done by these fame whores. I’m not sure we can always be expected to hold ourselves to the most scrupulous niceties at every turn.

It’s hard not to believe that we aren’t nearing a serious confrontation.

I think we should not establish any pattern of following and abusing a la the Westboro Church.

But in the final analysis your point is timely and not to be disputed.

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Stephen from Sunny Seattle's avatar

Tolerating intolerance is not healthy.

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K Barnes's avatar

Protecting free speech means even that speech which is abhorrent, yes? It is in the quality of rebuttal that one exercises civilized take down of repugnant ideas. By silencing the opposition, don't we indicate that our ideals are mere hypocrisy, practiced only when what is said is acceptable to the listener? I hold that in doing so, we risk abandoning democratic ideas for convenience. And they have turned us into them.

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Stephen from Sunny Seattle's avatar

When someone propagates lies about the Coronavirus, it's akin to yelling 'Fire!' in a crowded theatre. There is no First Amendment right in this case.

There is no equivalence in 'protecting free speech' here. The opposition were not silenced, they were met with opposition and they chose to slink out of the room like the yellow bellied rat bastards that they are.

Again, tolerating intolerance is not healthy.

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K Barnes's avatar

Put that way, I understand the boundary. Thanks.

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